I'll set you up Against the Stars
by Summer Leigh Wind
Summary: "We'll protect our empire from the fearlings, until death strikes us down." But, to the children's misfortune, no falling star hears their half-wished promise, (therefore, a wish unfulfilled and a promise to shatter). One-Shot.


_**I'll set you up Against the Stars**_

* * *

While not a peasant by any means, Kozmotis was by no means the usual recruit for Lunar Generals' Academy; he was the only son of six children belonging to a small town teacher. Sometimes, he thinks if he hadn't lead his papa's school students on a counter-attack when the fearlings invaded their little hamlet and killed his papa who'd gone outside to barricade the doors and windows of the school, he would have stayed, lived, and died in that little hamlet. Sniffling from a growing bout of homesickness, Kozmotis wishes the lieutenant of the little platoon dispatched to his home hadn't ever told his grandmother of his feat. 'cause then she wouldn't have agreed when the man said he could get him into Lunar Academy and he wouldn't be _here, _away from his giggling sisters, stern-faced granny, gaggle of cheery townspeople and the hamlet's surrounding flower fields and its endless butterflies.

Doing a bad job of suppressing a sob from underneath his blanket, a hand comes to rip the blanket away from his face. Looking at the shadowed figure's features, Kozmotis freezes in his crying. "What are you cryin' for? We haven't even been here long enough for them to give us _rooms_." The other child tells him.

Wiping away the tears, the boy squints a bit and realizes with some interest that the child talking to him is one of the few girls that are going to be in his year. "I haven't ever been gone this long from my home," he murmurs, the girls stares some more in that dubious way and Kozmotis feels the need to add, "I've _never _been away from home."

Her eyes widen and glancing which way and that way, she decides to crawl under the covers with him. Wriggling her body until they're flush together, she whispers. "Never, _ever_?"

The boy shakes his head. "No, my papa was the town's only school teacher, he _couldn't _leave; what if someone need ta know somethin'?" He explains to her.

The girl's looking at him-or at least he thinks so, it's too dark to really tell-"You're one of those _specially _picked kids, aren't you?" She questions, but Kozmotis thinks she's stating more than asking him.

"I guess," he agrees, "I mean, the lieutenant _did _bring me here and argue with some people about lettin' me in an' stuff."

She nods. "Yeah, you're one of 'em alright."

Kozmotis stares at her. "If I'm one of 'em, what are you?" He inquires.

"Huh?" She mutters, "Me?" He nods, waiting for her answer. She doesn't say anything for a while, "...I'm the youngest daughter of three, father wanted a son...but, mother couldn't have more after me, you see? So I'm one of those that aren't picked, but sent 'cause there was no boy." She answers.

Kozmotis frowns. "What's wrong with sendin' a girl?" He demands.

"They're-they're weaker!" She exclaims.

"Who says?" The boy scowls, "My granny an' sisters are some of the strongest people I've ever been 'round; not just anyone stands up to fearlings!"

The girl stills and turns away. "You're the one they been talkin' about, aren't you? The one who organized a bunch of kids against a horde of fearlings." She whispers.

It's cold where she used to be. "It was only a few!" He protests, "'sides I just said we should surprise them, 'cause they'd killed papa an' probably hadn't realized any more of us were inside the school."

The girl grabs his arm in a sharp grip. "Not just anyone would think of that, a lot of folks would just scrunch up an' hide." She growls at him.

Kozmotis squirms away. "What good's hiding? They're gonna get you either way," She stays where she is, but he knows she must be looking his way. "So you might as well try to get them first or die tryin'!" He declares.

He hears her whimper. "No one's goin' to stand a chance against you."

Scooting closer he places a hand on top of hers. "What do you mean?" He asks.

"Lunar's _whole _point's to create the best General, but how can they create one when they already got him?" She hiccups.

"Who's that?" Kozmotis asks, head spinning.

"You stupid!" She snaps.

"I-" he stops, "I don't get why you're cryin,'" he finally admits.

"'cause then I can't prove to papa I'm as good as any boy, if you're always 'round to show me up!" She snarls.

Coming so close he can stare into her glisten eyes and see even in the darkness that they're a dark blue he doesn't know the name for; he implores. "What's your name?"

She blinks. "Vulpecula Nor." She breathes.

Kozmotis nods and rests his head on her shoulder. Playing with her chin length hair, he inquires. "If you can't be the best, why not be my partner instead?" He asks.

"What do you mean?" She questions, body tensing under him.

"If you can't show your papa your as good as any boy, you stick with me an' I'll _make _him see that you're even better, 'cause the very best general in all of Lunaff wouldn't be partners with just anyone, would they?"

Vulpecula seems to consider this. "...No, I don't think so." She concedes.

"What do you say?" He implores, grinning up at the girl.

Lifting her head, she smashes her lips to his. He yelps and pedals back away from her, her teeth glimmer in the darkness. "It's done, sealed with a kiss." She explains to him.

Pressing a hand to his tingling lips, Kozmotis awes at Vulpecula, she's definitely better than any boy he's known. "Are we partners then?" He inquires.

Fingers reaching out to cling to his, she whispers, "For as long as the stars shine in our favor." Pulling back the blanket with sudden quickness, Kozmotis looks to the twinkling bodies in the black sky.

Vulpecula comes and leans against him, "See?" She utters.

The boy nods. "They do shine on us." He remarks.

"And they will favor us." The girl asserts strongly.

Resting his head on her shoulder, Kozmotis smiles. "Yeah, they will, 'cause 'm gonna be the best General in all of the Lunaff Empire..."

"And I'll be your partner." She says, echoing his promise.

"My only one." Kozmotis agrees. Vulpecula turns her head and smiles brilliantly at him, butterflies in his stomach, Kozmotis grins back just as brightly. Squeezing her hand, he makes a final, wistful, promise.

"We'll protect our empire from the fearlings, until death strikes us down."

But, to the children's misfortune, no falling star hears their half-wished promise, (therefore, a wish unfulfilled and a promise to shatter).

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**First, I'm not in love with the title, I just might change it later; so be on the look out if you want to come back to this piece. Also as to why I've written this, I've been curious as to how Kozmotis would have grown up in the Golden Age; I felt like he probably went to some sort of military school (when I was writing this, I was thinking of Battle School from _Ender's Game_) and so, here we are, a kid Kozmotis about eight or nine years old homesick and meeting a strange little girl (anyone have any guesses as to who she is?) in the middle of the night.**

**Thanks for reading everybody and I hope you'll choose to review.**

**P.S. I have a poll on my page for what kind of RotG fic I should do next.**


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